Summit County - Eagle County - Clear Creek County - Camping

These are general guidelines for wilderness areas and national forests in Summit County, Clear Creek County and Eagle County. Rules and regulations are subject to change based on trail and weather conditions. Always contact the applicable management agency when planning your trip for a complete set of rules and updated information.

EAGLES NEST WILDERNESS AREA - 970.468.5400

Dispersed backcountry camping is permitted in the Eagles Nest Wilderness. No permit is necessary. Group size is limited to 15 individuals.

Due to heavy use and beetle kill-induced deadfall, campfires are strictly prohibited at many locations - call ahead with your itinerary for applicable fire regulations.

Camp only in established (previously used) campsites to minimize impact. These sites are unmarked but intuitively located along trails, usually by a creek.

Campfires are otherwise permitted for dispersed camping in the backcountry, with potential seasonal restrictions. Campfires are not permitted above or within .25 miles (440 yards) of treeline, or within 100' of any lake or stream in the Eagles Nest Wilderness.

Contact the Dillon Ranger District (970.468.5400) for the latest on weather, trail conditions and trail-specific usage guidelines when planning your trip. The office is open M - F from 8am - 4pm.

Dispersed backcountry camping is permitted in the Arapaho National Forest.

Camping is prohibited within 100' of any lake or stream. Group size is limited to 15 individuals.

Campfires are permitted for dispersed backcountry camping, with potential seasonal and elevation restrictions.

Camp only in established (previously used) campsites to minimize impact. These sites are unmarked but intuitively located along trails, usually by a creek.

Camping is limited to 14 consecutive days in one location. After 14 days, the campsite must be moved a minimum of three miles.

Contact the Clear Creek Ranger District (303.567.3000) for the latest on weather, trail conditions and trail-specific usage guidelines when planning your trip.

The Clear Creek Ranger District maintains eight developed campgrounds. All are accessed from the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, Guanella Pass Scenic Byway, I-70 and Colorado Highways 40, 103, and 119. Operating seasons vary, however most range from mid-May through mid-October. Contact the Clear Creek Ranger District for availability and detailed information on each.

WHITE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST - 970.468.5400

Dispersed backcountry camping is permitted in the White River National Forest. No permit is necessary. Camping is prohibited within 100' of any lake or stream. Group size is limited to 15 individuals.

Campfires are permitted for dispersed camping in the backcountry, with potential seasonal restrictions. Campfires are not permitted above or within .25 miles of treeline.

Camp only in established (previously used) campsites to minimize impact. These sites are unmarked but intuitively located along trails, usually by a creek.

Contact the Dillon Ranger District (970.468.5400) for the latest on weather, trail conditions and trail-specific usage guidelines when planning your trip. The office is open M - F from 8am - 4pm.

All food and scented items must be secured 24 hours a day. Bear canisters are the best way to protect your supplies and wildlife. Food must otherwise be hung.

Food must be hung at least 10' above the ground and 4' from a tree trunk. It takes at least 50' of rope to properly hang food.

Keep all scented items out of your tent, including personal items. Store them with your food.

Bears are not the only animals with great noses: deer, raccoons, jays, bighorn sheep and mountain goat may also be interested in your food, or salts from urine and sweat around your campsite. Keep a clean camp to avoid unwanted visitors.

Field Tips

You must treat, filter or boil any drinking water obtained from streams, lakes or snow in the backcountry. Though water may appear pristine, it's generally not safe to drink due to giardia and other harmful bacteria.

Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the Colorado mountains, especially July-August. Be mindful of changing weather and aim for treeline well before storms develop.

Insect repellent is advisable.

Where there are no maintained trails in the tundra, do not walk in single file - spread out to avoid wearing out concentrated areas. Minimize damage by walking over rocks as much as possible.

Planning Tips

Speak with a Ranger before heading into the backcountry. Ask specific questions about trail conditions, weather and terrain.

Use a good topo map to plan your itinerary. Distance, elevation gain, elevation at your destination and water availability are primary considerations when planning backcountry travel.

If you live at sea level, it will take several days to acclimate to higher elevations. Most trails begin above 8,000' and climb steeply.

Anticipate a wide range of weather conditions on your trip. Never assume that weather conditions early in the day or at lower elevations will be the same at your final destination.

Always leave a copy of your itinerary with someone at home.

Summit County - Eagle County - Clear Creek County - Ecology

Clear Creek County, Summit County and Eagle County cover 2,685 square miles in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. National Forests and Wilderness Areas within span 5 ecosystems and sub-systems ranging from 8,000' to over 14,000'. These distinct but interconnected life zones support elk, moose, bear, mountain lion, bighorn sheep and mountain goat.

Pine Beetles

Bark beetles are native insects that under normal conditions help forests cull older trees and make room for new growth.

Pine beetles affect trees by laying eggs under the bark, introducing a fungus that reduces overall resistance and blocks water and nutrient transport. Periodic outbreaks have occurred throughout history, however none as severe as this recent epidemic.

Cold winters can kill beetle eggs and regulate populations. Unusually hot summers, warm winters and a prolonged dry spell over the region in the last 10 years have led to increased beetle activity while weakening trees natural resistance.

While there is no effective way to safely control an outbreak of this magnitude, recent surveys suggest a modest decline in infestations as the availability of healthy trees has declined.

North-facing slopes of the Montane hold more moisture; here trees grow closer together and competition for sunlight produces a tall, slender growth form.

Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine and the occasional Engelmann spruce compete for resources on these colder slopes. A few shade-tolerant plants also grow on the forest floor.

Montane soil with high moisture content may support aspen, distinguished by their white bark and spectacular autumn colors. Willow, mountain alder and water birch can be found along riparian corridors.

Lodgepole pine is particularly abundant at the lower range, and in burned or logged areas where they respond well to sun. Once the forest is re-established, lodgepole will be succeeded by spruce and fir.

Limber pine is found in the subalpine's highest, most exposed elevations. They're specifically adapted to adverse conditions with flexible limbs and a short, gnarled trunk to stabilize the tree.

Bristlecone pine is the oldest living tree species on earth, and arguably the hardiest subalpine resident. The bristlecone's short, twisted trunk facilitates nutrient flow and stabilizes the tree in strong winds. They can survive with minimal bark, and produce a resin that resists disease and infestation. Bristlecone may take a century to add just 1 inch in diameter, and can become nearly dormant during a drought.

Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir become shorter and stunted at the top of their range. Poor soil, thin air, strong wind, extreme weather and a shorter growing season limit growth at higher elevations.

Exposure limits new growth on the windward side of spruce and fir, leaving new growth to the lee side. Trees with branches on only one side are called banner trees or flag trees. Near treeline, seedlings may germinate on the lee side of rocks and grow only as tall as the rock's protection.

The alpine tundra ecosystem ranges from 11,000' up to the highest peaks in Colorado. There's approximately 60% less oxygen above treeline than at sea level.

Strong wind, cold temperatures, poor soil, extended snow cover and a short growing season limit what plants can grow here.

Many flowering plants of the tundra have dense hairs on stems and leaves for wind protection, or red-colored pigments that convert sunlight into heat.

Some plants take two or more years to form flower buds, which survive winter below the surface. These buds will open and produce fruit with seeds all within just a few weeks of summer.

Lichens are comprised of two organisms: a fungus that provides structure, and an algae within the fungus that stores water and gives it color. Lichens need only a rock, sunlight, and some water every few years to survive.

Enclosed algal cells can photosynthesize above 32 F, and the outer fungal layers can absorb more than their own weight in water.

A 1â€ diameter lichen may be hundreds of years old; some lichens can live for thousands of years. Lichens help turn rock into soil by secreting acids that dissolve it into minerals.

Cushion and mat plants help build soil by capturing organic debris in their foliage, plots in which grasses and taller plants can eventually root. This turns fellfield into alpine turf, a process that can take centuries.

Alpine vegetation is very fragile, and can take centuries to recover from a disturbance.

Summit County - Eagle County - Clear Creek County - Wildlife

Wildlife of the central and northern Rocky Mountains

ELK

Rocky Mountain Elk have the largest antlers of all subspecies. Much of the year, a bull's giant antlers are encased in a velvet skin laced with thousands of blood vessels to deliver blood and nutrients. As they finish growing, and in anticipation of the fall mating rut, bulls thrash and rub their antlers to remove the velvet.

Elk descend from the high country in autumn for the annual mating rut. Cows form large herds and bulls linger anxiously on the periphery while battling for dominance. Though violent clashes occur, mature bulls prefer bugling and displaying their antlers, necks and bodies to fighting.

Cows and younger bulls may also bugle, but can't match the strength of the older bulls' calls.

Prime bulls (8-9 years old) stand the best chance of mating, a taxing process that severely weakens the animal. Some of the most successful males from a breeding standpoint fail to survive the following winter.

Though predation has been reduced with the extirpation of grizzlies and wolves, elk face habitat fragmentation and limited access to winter feeding grounds due to accelerated development on adjacent lands.

MOOSE

Adult males (bulls) can weigh 1,500 pounds and stand over 6' at the shoulder. Males are distinguished from other Cervidaes by their palmated antlers, which can reach 6' wide and weigh 90 pounds.

Adult females (cows) are smaller, averaging 700 - 800 pounds and 5-6' at the shoulder. They do not grow antlers.

Both sexes have a distinct flap of skin that dangles from their neck called a bell. It's more pronounced in males than females, and its purpose for each is debated. Some believe that its size may indicate a male's fitness to a female, serving as secondary sexual criteria to antlers.

Despite their bulky build moose are exceptionally fast runners; they can reach 35 mph in short bursts and maintain a steady 20 mph trot. Moose spend a significant time in water and are proficient swimmers.

They can swim for several miles across lakes, and hold their breath up to 30 seconds. Moose have poor eyesight and are believed color blind, but make up for this with strong smell and hearing. Poor eyesight contributes to dangerous human encounters.

Moose are more common on the Indian Peaks' west side, where marsh and aquatic plants are more abundant. They will venture east in late summer and through fall once mountain passes have cleared.

BIGHORN SHEEP

Bighorn Sheep live on high mountainsides, alpine valleys and steep cliffs.

Males are called Rams and weigh 175 - 300 lbs (desert subspecies are on the smaller end of this range). Males reach full maturity by age 8 and live 9-12 years

Only rams grow the large, distinctly spiral-shaped horns that curl behind their ears and back up towards the face. Ewes sport mush shorter and straighter horns. A mature male's horns can weigh over 30 pounds can measure over 30â€ in length and 15â€in diameter.

Horns help determine rank within the herd, though males will deliberately shorten them by scraping rocks if the horns impede vision.

Females are called Ewes and weigh 75 - 175 lbs. They have an average lifespan of 10 - 14 years.

Ewes live in groups of 5-15 but form larger bands in the winter. Males will travel in smaller groups of 2-7 until joining the female herds for the autumn rut.

Big Horn Sheep have extremely acute eyesight. They can spot and track predators and people from over 1 mile away during the day. Impossible terrain dissuades many would-be predators, though mountain lions are very capable of reaching them in their lower range. Golden eagles are proficient at knocking younger, less sure-footed animals off cliffs.

MOUNTAIN GOAT

Mountain Goats range across North America's northern mountains, with large populations in Idaho, Montana and British Columbia . They were introduced to Colorado in 1947 to bolster the state's hunting allure, though debate continues regarding their indigenous status.

Mountain goats live in small groups at the highest elevations, feeding on alpine tundra grasses, mosses, lichens and sedges.

Males (Billyies) can weigh up to 300 lbs, and Females (Nannies) are somewhat smaller. Both have sharp black horns that can reach 12 inches. Heavily cushioned, skid-proof hooves give them exceptional balance and traction, and double-layered wool coats can withstand extreme weather conditions.

Since they rarely venture below treeline, mountain goats have few natural predators. Avalanches and rocks slides are their primary concern, though eagles are known to knock smaller animals off cliffs, and mountain lion have some success hunting in their lower range.

MARMOT

Those who venture through treeline in the northern and central Rockies are virtually certain to see marmots. Marmots are ground-living rodents closely related to the ground squirrel and prairie dog.

Marmots are alpine specialists who pass the winter in deep burrows (September - May, with some variation) and feed voraciously on alpine plants and grasses during short summers.

Once marmots emerge from hibernation, mating begins in earnest. Marmots gestate for roughly one month, and most pups are born by June. Pups emerge from protective burrows after 3 weeks, and are weened 2-3 weeks later. They reach sexual maturity after 2-3 years, a range shaped in part by elevation.

Marmots are territorial, with males maintaining a harem of mating females. Males will eventually be driven off by mothers, but related females often remain connected for life and help raise future generations together.